Welcome to Embrace Shabbat. In his sefer Ohr LeZion (page רלד ), Chacham Ben Zion quotes a passuk in Shemot (16:29): רְא֗וּ כִּֽי־ה’ נָתַ֣ן לָכֶ֣ם הַשַּׁבָּת֒ עַל־כֵּ֠ן ה֣וּא נֹתֵ֥ן לָכֶ֛ם בַּיּ֥וֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁ֖י לֶ֣חֶם יוֹמָ֑יִם See, that it is Hashem Who, having given your Shabbat, therefore gives you a double portion on the sixth day. He explains that a person shouldn’t worry about how they will be able to keep Shabbat or have enough food for the day. Hashem has commanded a person to keep Shabbat, and He therefore provides the parnassah that a person needs to follow its laws. Chacham Ben Zion continues that this principle does not only apply to the mitzvah of Shabbat. Rather Shabbat serves as an exemplar for all mitzvot : Hashem satisfies all of our needs so that we are able to carry out His mitzvot. As the Gemara teaches, מאן דיהיב חיי יהיב מזוני , the One that gives life, gives sustenance. When G-d grant’s a person life, He provides all of the necessary sustenance that comes along with it; when He gives a person a challenge, He also supplies everything that a person needs to deal with it. A story is told of a certain person that struggled mightily with parnassah. He had a few children and told his Rabbi that he and his wife could not afford to have any more children, as they would not be able to adequately provide for their child’s needs. The Rabbi replied that every child comes with his own pipeline of parnassah, and perhaps this child’s pipeline would give the family all of the parnassah that they needed. The couple listened to the Rabbi and had another child, who ended up becoming a multimillionaire and taking care of the whole family. This principle can be applied to all of the problems that a person grapples with. For example, when a person begins learning in Kollel, they sometimes worry how they will be able to support their family. Such a person should recognize that Hashem commanded a person to learn and have children, and therefore He will provide- just rely on Him! (Of course, not everyone is on the level to commit themselves to learning in Kollel, but this is just an example to highlight the point.) The Gemara in Masechet Kiddushin quotes Rav Shimon Ben Elazar who said: in all my days, I have not seen an animal with a trade. I have not seen a deer that is a leather worker or a cat that is a baker! And yet, all of their needs are taken care of. If this can be seen with animals, which were created to serve human beings, surely the same applies to people, who can be confident that they are able to earn a parnassah without any pain. Furthermore, for those who have higher levels of bitachon , their work will be blessed and they will not need to work as tirelessly as others. Hashem gives us the ability to fulfill His mitzvot. The same is true when it comes to tzedakah. When Hashem commands us to give tzedakah, He gives us the ability to do so, as well. The Pele Yoetz provides a visual to this commandment: imagine that someone slipped $1000 under their neighbor's door and asked, “Please give me back $100.” Of course the person would return the $100! Similarly, a person only has to give maaser , but the large majority of their money is provided for free from Hashem. I am involved in an organization named Lev Chana which gives cards to needy families that they can redeem in certain clothing stores. The cards are redeemable only in those stores, and only until the middle of Pesach, thus ensuring that all the money is spent on clothing for the Yom Tov. This is a beautiful way to bring joy to needy families before Yom Tov, whereby we earn Hashem’s blessings of peace and joy in our own families. Anyone who wishes to participate in this special mitzvah can write a check made out to Lev Chana and mail it to Lev Chana c/o Rabbi David Sutton, 1059 E. 10th St., Brooklyn, NY, 11230. One can also reply to this email, or email me directly at rabbisutton@gmail.com, and a bill will be sent. You can quickpay to the email address above as well. We have been giving this class every week for the past year for no charge. Now is the time that I ask for a little hakarat haTov to help me out on this mission. Thank you very much. Tizku l’mitzvot and have a Shabbat Shalom.